17 Nisan 2011 Pazar

Gemballa Debuts Panamera Mistrale and Cayenne Tornado at Top Marques Monaco Show

For 30 years now, German-based tuning house Gemballa has been taking the latest Porsche models and transforming them into custom machines with wild outputs. Despite the recent loss of the firm’s founder, Uwe Gemballa, the company continues to roll new creations. At this week’s 2011 Top Marques Monaco Show (April 14-17), Gemballa is showing off two newcomers, the Porsche Cayenne II based Tornado and the Panamera sedan-based Mistrale. Both the Tornado and the Mistrale feature a heavily customized body with unique front and rear ends, and an array of bespoke aero parts. According to the German tuning house, the new components not only change the appearance of the two Porsche models, but also help reduce weight. "We have significantly reduced weight, but without compromising strength, safety or comfort,” explained Andreas Schwarz, CEO of Gemballa. “Rather than cutting into the steel panels and bonding on new parts, as is common in the aftermarket industry, we completely replace entire panels with bespoke carbon-fibre ones that use the original mounting points. These new panels, which include the bonnet, front wings, doors, front and rear bumper/valance, save a total of 70kg.”The sheetmetal changes on the outside are complemented by a set of newly styled 22-inch alloy wheels, which are said to have the same weight as the original 20-inch rims from Porsche. Gemballa offers a variety of customizations for both interiors, ranging from carbon-fiber trim and seats finished in a mix of alcantara and leather to high-end infotainment systems. There’s plenty of magic under the hood as well with Gemballa offering two different engine kits for the V8 Turbo models. The Stage 1 kit boosts output to 580HP on the Cayenne-based Tornado and to 600HP with 850Nm (626 lb-ft) of torque on the Panamera-based Mistrale.Power hungry customers can also opt for a Stage 2 package, which gives both cars 700HP, and around 1,000Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque. In celebration of its 30th anniversary this year, the German company decided to limit production of the Tornado and Mistrale models to 30 units each